There Was A Time
by Mirandabelle
Summary: There was a time when Greg House could remember being happy. However, no matter hard he thought about it, he couldn't find a clear memory. Final chapters up at last. Sorry about the wait!
1. There Was A Time

**There Was A Time**

**Please Note: **I do not own House MD, or the characters.

**Summary:** There was a time when Greg House could remember being happy. However, no matter hard he thought about it, he couldn't find a clear memory.

* * *

There was a time when Greg House could remember being happy. However, no matter hard he thought about it, he couldn't find a clear memory.

He was sure it somehow involved laughing with his wife, her eyes sparkling and her brunette hair spread over the pillow, still tousled from their lovemaking. His laugh then, had been _with_ her, not at someone's misfortune, and not the hollow, cynical laugh at the bitter irony of something.

There were blurry images of singing, and of dancing, and of planning for this new life he now cradled against his chest. Blinking, he realized the blur was salty tears, stinging his eyes, and shifting the weight in his arms carefully, he swiped at them with a still-gloved hand.

He tried a laugh, trying to mock the sheer irony of the two extremes he was faced with, life and death in the one room, but even that sounded out of place. It echoed harshly off the pale walls, making him want to cover his ears and scream. For once, it seemed that the Doctor would have to give a damn.

There was a time when Greg House could remember being happy. However, as he held his newborn daughter in his arms, and saw the bruised and battered body of his wife the paramedics had pulled from the car wreck, but failed to save in the emergency room, he couldn't find a clear memory.


	2. The Way Things Were

Miranda's Spiel: "And yet...for a one-off, I couldn't leave it... still haven't decided which of the three brunettes is his wife, Stacey, Cameron or Cuddy though."

D/C: I do not own House MD or any of its characters.

Thankyou: weirdlittlemeg, Mrs.JordanHoyt and Dr-House-Loverrrrr and muddy-luffer for reviews.

There Was A Time - 2: The Way Things Were

There was a time when Robert Chase could remember a stronger House making him feel like a little child, as he bellowed "Wombat!" from half way down the hall, making the patients stop and stare, any nurse in the vicinity scuttle for cover, and Cuddy, wherever she was in the hospital, page Stacy - though she not yet knew why - as she prepared for another malpractice suit.

This was a very different man that faced them the next morning however, naturally they'd all heard. Even the old janitor who spoke no English at all had heard. But they weren't prepared for what they'd see. Dr House, miraculously clean and shaven, his back to the room as he nursed his tiny daughter in his arms while she slept.

"Get to it." He nodded curtly at the whiteboard, turning briefly towards them, and then back to the infant girl as she let out a small squeak as his weight shifted. Glancing at it, they saw the usual, a bunch of symptoms, but most of the words were half-written down or scrawled at best, making it impossible to tell eczema from gastric reflux.

"She's beautiful... looks just like..." Foreman offered, stopping as he realised what so many people must have already told the grieving man.

"Say it... go on. Just like her mother." House murmured bitterly. Silently, the team went to work, deciphering the scribble and trying to diagnose yet another list of unrelated symptoms.

A few minutes later, House could bear the uncomfortable silence no more, and was surprised to see his team, now joined by Wilson in a discussion using entirely sign language.

The rest of the day continued, things were different now, very different. For a second, even Nurse Williams who had most often been brought to tears by House - they were keeping tally now - wanted things back the way they were.


	3. Too Tired To Fight

Miranda's Spiel: Still can't leave it alone... I have decided who died and I intend to ease the answer out, confirming who (Cuddy, Cameron and Stacy) are still ok one by one.

D/C: I do not own House MD or any of its characters.

There Was A Time - 3: Too Tired To Fight

There was a time when Lisa Cuddy would have had to talk herself blue to convince House to attend the interviews to replace his beloved wife. Now there was nothing to it, she had merely asked, and received a bitter, but affirmative response the sad blue eyes never leaving the unnamed girl in his arms.

"They're going to work with me closely, so I better hadn't I?" Unable to look away from the constant reminder of what had been who slept safely in his embrace, he said nothing more. After an awkward silence, broken by the infant waking, Lisa quietly left, placing a heated bottle of formula on the desk, a glimmer of gratitude meeting her unseeing back as she left.

Wilson had deliberately prodded House in all the right ways too, trying to get a response out of him as he emotionlessly paced the corridors of the hospital, his daughter cradled warmly in a carry pack on his front, walking with the cane and holding her in his arms had proved dangerous to all involved.

"Will he ever wake up?" Chase said, it was a unanimous vote that Dr House was in fact, sleepwalking of sorts. He still tended to patients, gave advice, and still questioned someone else's diagnosis, but there was no fire in his voice, no spirit in his eyes and definitely no fight in anything he did. He had refused condolence leave from Lisa quietly and with dignity, and thanked people politely when the assisted him with the newborn.

"I don't know..." Wilson shook his head. "You saw how hard he had to work to win her heart, and then to lose her so suddenly like that, I don't think he's got anymore left in him. He's too tired to fight."


	4. Nothing More To Say

Miranda's Spiel: So.... Cuddy is alright... so who is it - Cameron or Stacy? Read on!

D/C: I do not own House MD or any of its characters.

There Was A Time - 4: Nothing More To Say

Wilson appeared at House's apartment early the morning of the funeral. It was hard to believe it had only been a week since the accident, and yet here he was, straightening the grieving man's tie as he stood wordlessly before him. Wilson said nothing either, there seemed no words to fit, each time his marriage had broken down, House was there with the appropriate response but any of the advice, sarcastic or otherwise seemed wrong.

Lisa had arrived not long after Wilson, and took it upon herself to bathe, feed and clothe the little girl who had so much become a part of her daily routine, she had a regular two hour visit with the girl while House worked in the clinic. She was the only one who had been allowed to do more than cradle the child for a few minutes, a privilege which annoyed the nurses no end, but she respected highly.

"The blue one..." House murmured, his first words for the morning since either concerned party had arrived. "Her mother bought it when we found out we were going to have a daughter." Lisa turned, realising House meant the two tiny dresses she held in her hands, and put aside the pale yellow one, a gift from Foreman. Lisa too, had remained silent, not sure what to say, and not truly trusting herself not to start crying.

"Ready?" Wilson asked, deliberately keeping his usual cheerful demeanour nonexistent.

"Do you really think I could be?" House replied, the second and final sentence he would utter between his apartment and the church. Kicking himself, Wilson carefully hoisted the diaper bag Cuddy offered onto his shoulder, and joined House and Lisa in silence, there really seemed nothing more to say.


	5. A Glimmer Of Hope

Miranda's Spiel: Hmmm… I've changed the writing style and cannot for the life of me get it back. Sorry about that. And the last chapter was a total bust too... anyway, this is the last chapter. Sorry to keep you all waiting so long. The answer is revealed!

D/C: I do not own House MD or any of its characters.

There Was a Time - 5: A Glimmer of Hope

There was a time when James Wilson would have downright refused to help House sneak out of a colleague's wake, especially when it involved stealing the Dean of Medicine's car, but as House turned to him, smothered by his in-laws, blue eyes raw with pain and said simply "I need out" Wilson could not argue that.

Cuddy realized that House was missing not long after, and that Wilson was gone too. Grabbing her bag, she motioned for Cameron, Chase, and Foreman to follow her, and finding her keys missing, knew that her car would be too.

"Wilson! What the hell do you mean by taking off in my car like that?" Cuddy reproved sharply as they entered the diagnostics office. She had picked the hospital as the one place he'd be, where he'd be most at home and relaxed after the taxing hours he had spent at the church and cemetery.

They were not disappointed, despite his unusually quiet demeanor the past week his general routine had not changed all that much, and that included taking off in Cuddy's car so that his daughter could ride safely in the baby seat they had placed in her car early that morning.

Her voiced trailed off as she realized that firstly, the baby was asleep, snug in her baby carrier on the desk and second that House was scribbling busily on his whiteboard. Wilson had the decency to flash an apologetic look before turning back to his friend.

"You can't be working… not today. I cleared your schedule for this week…" Cuddy murmured.

"I'm not." House said shortly. A hint of the old House was back in that response, and the abruptness of his answer had the impatient and worried Dean bristling a little.

"Then... what?" Wilson voiced what they had all queried when faced by a whiteboard full of scribbles; it looked very much to the confused people as though he had been diagnosing a patient.

"Naming my daughter. She can't stay 'the baby' forever." There was something to his voice... it wasn't new exactly Foreman mused, just renewed. It seemed as though something was shifting in his mind and he was coming back. Lisa found nothing to say, as she sat down slowly, watching the Doctor who had caused her so much trouble. House was silent for a few minutes more, keeping everyone in suspense as he turned and reached into the pram.

"Ladies and gentlemen," There was a definite hint of happiness as he lifted his daughter. "Meet Miss Camryn Stacy House." The infant's blue eyes studied her father's face as he smiled at her with love.

"Of course... after her mother... but?" Foreman questioned the unexpected name. One of the names was expected, and a few staff members had begun to call the little girl as much anyway. The other name however, was a total surprise, given the current healthy status of Camryn's other namesake. Handing his newly named daughter to Cuddy, House turned to the whiteboard and wrote _"Naming techniques."_

"Differential diagnosis people... what do some people give as a motive for choosing their child's name?" Cuddy rolled her eyes, this was ridiculous, but it was a sign he was beginning to feel like himself again.

"Family members?" Foreman queried. "My grandfather was Eric too."

"Famous people?" Wilson joined in, realizing this was the only way they would find out about the meaning behind her name.

"Interesting, but Beyonce Gregory House... it just doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Camryn Stacy House... keep trying people." He was his usual abrupt self again, writing down and then crossing out the two suggestions.

"Glamour, people sometimes call their kids well-off sounding names." Chase added.

"Pretentious you mean." House snorted. "Ok this one's tough... I'll give you a hint. What about someone you admire?" The namesake sat up straighter, making a choking incoherent noise as she did so. She flushed scarlet glancing at the baby.

"I know, I know, you're flattered and touched." House rolled his eyes as the flustered woman tried to protest.

"You shouldn't have… I mean… oh, thank you!" She stammered, stroking the baby's head gently. She stood, kissed House quickly on the cheek, and then sat down again, still blushing furiously, stumbling for words and generally acting embarrassed.

"Learn to take a compliment Allison." House stated shortly, knowing the use of Dr Cameron's first name would silence her immediately. "And keep the lovey-dovey show to a minimum; I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Well why not Stacy Camryn?" Cuddy asked. They had all expected Stacy to be the first name with something simple like Rose as a middle, given House's distaste for frills and fancies.

"Stace and I agreed to use her name as a middle name months ago. Camryn Stacy sounds better anyway." There was less bitterness in his voice, and for the first time since the accident, House used Stacy's name instead of 'my wife' or 'her mother'

"Well it's beautiful... Greg. Thank you." Cameron replied softly, hesitating before the use of his Christian name. Lisa gently placed Camryn in her arms and stood to hug House, who pulled away. When a group lunch suggested not long after was refused bluntly, the Ducklings and Lisa left, knowing House would be fine for the moment with Wilson and Camryn for company.

It became clear that in time, House would be fine as well. His sweet daughter wanted for nothing in his care, growing well and happy, the very image of her late mother, but with her father's piercing eyes, and the pretty infant often accompanied her father to the hospital. Even Cuddy and her policies couldn't deny House the need to have his baby close, and Camryn spent her days under the watchful eye of her father, her namesake, or one of her godparents - Wilson or Cuddy herself - whoever was not seeing a patient at the time.

House too, grew well and became happy. His daughter's affection was the best medicine of all, softening him just enough to appear human to more than the few who had seen him grieve for Stacy. He was still of course, brilliant at his work, rude to patients and scathing to those who questioned his ways, but when faced with anxious parents, fretting for the sick child in his care, he was that little bit more tactful, his words without the acerbic edge.

Months went on to pass, and it became harder to tote Camryn everywhere he went, her increased mobility now a danger in most parts of the hospital, as she crawled and then cruised, pulling everything within arms' reach down as she went. House realized he needed to find a more suitable arrangement for his daughter's care, and finally took the leave Cuddy had offered at the time of Camryn's birth to think things over and work out just what it was he wanted from his life.

The answer came just days before Camryn's first birthday. House had still been on leave, but the promise of a new puzzling patient had lured him back on a quiet Saturday, allowing him to bring Camryn and leave her at the Nurses' Station.

The nurses had all vacated the desk by the time he returned for his daughter, and his heart momentarily stopped before he spotted his daughter, toddling uncertainly towards him, holding Cameron's hands tightly. Less than a foot from House, Cameron eased her fingers from the toddler's iron grip and she wobbled the last three steps towards her father unaided.

"Mama…" Camryn whined holding her arms out to Cameron as she turned to leave. Both doctors froze, their eyes meeting over the head of the little girl they both adored.

There was a time Gregory House could remember a complete sense of loss, pain and hopelessness.

He was sure at the time that it had meant he would be alone forever; the pillow next to his cold and empty, his house would be quiet and still. He was sure he could never laugh or smile again. He knew he would not be able to dance, sing, or plan for the future. The feeling of emptiness had been all-consuming.

There was a time when Greg house could remember a complete sense of loss, pain and hopelessness, one that he wouldn't forget. However, as he danced with his new wife, his daughter safe in her godmother's arms while friends and family looked on, their new daughter swathed beneath the simple ivory wedding gown and his wife's gently rounded belly, he found he couldn't see anything but hope.


End file.
